Report: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expected to name Nicole Shanahan as running mate over Aaron Rodgers

As rumors swirl about Aaron Rodgers as a potential running mate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made his decision. He is expected to name California-based attorney Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential nominee, according to a report from Mediaite.

Rodgers’ name came up in connection with Kennedy’s campaign for president earlier this week when The New York Times reported he was a top candidate to join the ticket. The two have spoken “pretty continuously” for the last month, the Times reported, and the rumor quickly made its way around social media.

However, according to Mediaite, concerns rose from Kennedy donors about the idea of adding Rodgers to the ticket.

After Kennedy’s reported interest in Rodgers came out, a report from CNN alleged he was a Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist and “shared deranged conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting not being real” in private conversations.

Rodgers took to social media to deny that report on Thursday afternoon.

“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy,” Rodgers wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place. Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community.”

More on the reported Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Aaron Rodgers connection

Kennedy’s campaign was also vetting former Minnesota governor, Navy SEAL and WWE wrestler Jesse Ventura, according to the Times. Now, it seems he’s settling on Shanahan, an attorney based in California who was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brinn.

Kennedy initially tried to run as a Democrat and a primary challenger to incumbent Joe Biden, but was generally rejected by the party and its electorate, and opted to change and run as an independent in October 2023. He and Rodgers shared political common ground on one issue: Vaccine skepticism.

That belief was amplified, in Rodgers’ case, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rodgers infamously said he was “immunized” and seemed to have skirted some amount of NFL protective protocol for unvaccinated players, which he was at the time. Rodgers has since struck out to cast himself as open-minded, unorthodox and intellectual. He piqued interest with his darkness retreat and sharing that he’s used ayahuasca in the past, and also sparked outrage with his comments linking late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to alleged sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on the Pat McAfee Show.

Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon four plays into his New York Jets tenure last September and is in line to be the Jets starting quarterback this coming season. It will be the second season of a two-year, $75 million deal he signed with the Jets after the Green Bay Packers traded him to New York ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Andrew Graham contributed to this report.